Date: Fri, 19 Apr 2002 09:03:05 -0400 From: Brian T.Schellenberger <bts@babbleon.org> To: Jim Freeze <jim@freeze.org>, f-mobile <freebsd-mobile@FreeBSD.ORG> Subject: Re: Recommend a laptop for FreeBSD Message-ID: <20020419130306.3C44BBB39@i8k.babbleon.org> In-Reply-To: <20020419082413.A4862@freeze.org> References: <000f01c1e76a$5bc52180$7d00a8c0@compaq> <20020419075502.GA28589@moo.holy.cow> <20020419082413.A4862@freeze.org>
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On Friday 19 April 2002 08:24 am, Jim Freeze wrote:
| On Fri, Apr 19, 2002 at 03:55:02AM -0400, parv wrote:
| > > I'm looking to purchase a laptop to run FreeBSD. Other than the
| > > best price performance, I'm looking for troublefree installation
| > > and native support for all the hardware.
|
| You may want to consider getting an iBook. It's not exactly
| FreeBSD, but it's a Unix platform. I have been running FreeBSD
| for several years now and have often contemplated getting a laptop
| and putting freebsd on it. But I just did not have the time
| to do all the research and then worry about all the special
| apm services working.
|
| With the iBook/airport card and the airport base station, I
| can work anywhere in the house and connect to my server
| and perform administration work as needed. I don't have to
| worry about apm. I get audio and video (you enter a new world
| of computer use with a wireless card and iTunes :) )
| a cdburner and the ability to create movies. But, the big seller,
| I still get all the unix sw that I use on FreeBSD.
I've been running FreeBSD on laptops on and off for seven years; it's really
not anything to be afraid of.
I recommend Dell Inspiron. For a trouble-free installation, you need only
make sure that you do two things:
- Get one with an ATI graphics chip, not an Nvidia, and
- Don't install X directly from the install disk; install the Xfree 4 port
instead. (And don't try to automatically generate the XF86Config; instead,
go to the "linux for laptops" page and get an pre-cooked config for your
machine.)
Also, remember that when you buy PCMCIA cards, get the 16-bit cards, not the
newfandled 32-bit cards.
(NOTE: It is possible to use nvidia graphics chips and 32-bit cards now, but
if you want a trouble-free, simple experience, don't do that. Those both
still involve fiddling.)
| $0.02
--
Brian T. Schellenberger . . . . . . . bts@wnt.sas.com (work)
Brian, the man from Babble-On . . . . bts@babbleon.org (personal)
ME --> http://www.babbleon.org
http://www.eff.org <-- GOOD GUYS --> http://www.programming-freedom.org
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